Know You More
by Carter19
Summary: When a girl approaches the Doctor, stating that he gave her specific instructions to record all her life events in diaries and journals, he is forced to take her in and figure out just why exactly a future version of himself would do such a thing, and why her memories would be so important that she would need to keep track of them..
1. Chapter 1

A blue box- that's what he had told her to look for. But that wasn't exactly an award winning description, and she honestly had no idea what she was looking for. A blue box was as ordinary as it got, so she may as well be looking for a specific piece of hay in a pile of other pieces of hay. But, that's how her life had been for the past, oh, eight and a half years or so. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary to 19 year old Sophie.

"Hey Soph."

"Hey,"

"Good morning, Sophie!"

"`Morning, Mrs Hudson."

"Hello again!"

"Hello."

This was a small town; Tadcaster was its name. Here, everyone knew everyone. It was one of those small, stereotypical villages, and an old market town. There was nothing particularly interesting about it, besides the fact that he had told her to meet him here. Sophie didn't actually live here, but she came here so often that the townsfolk considered her one of their own.

Besides meeting him in this town and looking for a blue box, Sophie knew next to nothing about this man called the "Doctor". She didn't know any other name besides 'Doctor'. That was aggravating, as the only response she'd receive when she asked if anyone knew the Doctor, was, "Doctor Who?" and she'd end up right where she started, because not even she knew who this Doctor was.

A satchel hung from her shoulder, and a bulky one at that. Judging by the sharp, triangular edges that jutted out through the bag's fabric, its contents seemed to be primarily consist of books, and a lot of them. It was a wonder her shoulder didn't snap under the weight of all these books, but over time, she had gotten used to the satchel's gradually heavying weight.

Hazel eyes darted from one side of the street to the other, making her rounds. She'd walked these streets more than she'd even walked her own, and she knew her daily route. She was almost through the last round for the day, when she noticed something inexplicably uncanny to what she'd been looking for, for years.

A blue box.

In her shock, Sophie dropped her bag to the ground, eyes widening, knees going weak, and mouth becoming dry.

It was tall, and had a set of doors on one side. At the top of the box it read 'Police Public Call Box', and had a sort of beacon light on the roof. Most importantly though, it was the bluest blue she had ever seen. Sophie looked it up and down in her disbelief, doubting its very existence at first. It took someone to bump into her for her to snap out of her daze and come to the realization that this was, in fact, a blue box.

She was almost certain that it had never been here before; she would have seen it if it had been, she knew where everything in this town was. Could this be the blue box the Doctor had told her to find? It had to be! Scooping her satchel up and throwing it over her shoulder numbly, Sophie rushed up to the box, standing at its doors. She couldn't move to lift her hand; she felt frozen. This had to be a dream.. no. If it was a dream, she wouldn't know it. Dreams are tricky like that. So.. this had to be the blue box. THE blue box.

-Tap tap tap-

Her knuckles moved at their own accord. Could a man really fit in this box anyways? Maybe, but why would he want to sit in such a small space? It would be incredibly cramped. All Sophie knew was that she certainly wouldn't want to sit cramped in a small box..

The short, petite girl stood there with an anticipating expression, which slowly faded into something of a frown. There had been no answer, but she still stood there for a few more moments_. Maybe I missed him?_ Sophie pondered, turning a fraction to glance around, peering around to hopefully catch a glimpse of the man. It'd been eight years, though, and Sophie wasn't too sure that she would recognize him even if he did happen to be wandering around on the street out here.

Her lips pulled into a thin line as she turned back around to face the tall, blue box. If he was inside, he surely would have heard her; after all, it was just a teeny blue box. It wasn't as if he'd be away from the door. Maybe he had ear-buds in? Or he could be asleep, she supposed.

"Alright then," Sophie cleared her throat stood straight, braver than before, and lifted her fist to give the door another rapping. Before she could, though, the doors flew open.

There came two gasps of pure surprise; one came from Sophie, who jumped away, pulling her satchel to her chest as if it were going to protect her from any sort of impending doom. The second came from a man within the box. He was an older man, hair greyed, eyes fogged, and face covered with wrinkles and other various blemishes. He stood within the box (why was he so far away?), his eyes trained on her in the most frighteningly disbelieving gaze.

This wasn't who she had expected.

It seemed that they stared at one another for a lifetime before he suddenly paced towards her, eyes intense, and hands clenched into fists.

"How?" He demanded as he walked towards her, stopping a few feet from her and the doors.

"What?" Sophie asked, taking a few steps backwards, still clutching her satchel as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded.

The old man peered down his nose at her, his lips pressed into a thin frown. "The doors. How did you open them?" He sounded Scottish, but what would a Scottish man be doing here?

"I didn't," she responded quickly, staring up at him with a wide-eyed frown. "they opened on their own.."

There came a loud scoff from the old man as he crossed his arms. "Do you expect me to believe that? The TARDIS doesn't open her doors for just anyone. Let me guess, you didn't just knock now, either?"

Sophie looked past him, over his shoulder and into the blue box. "Yeeeah, I did, hang on, why does everything look so odd inside there?" The man's eyes widened as she suddenly stepped in, slipping past him, much to his discontent.

"I didn't say you could come in!" He shouted, turning to follow her.

The young woman's face contorted into an expression of complete and utter awe as she came to a halt within the box. "Oh… my God! Look at this!" She gasped, barely able to breath. "The box! It's got a bigger room inside a smaller box!" Sophie paused, eyebrows furrowing. "Huh. I think he said that I would say that."

"Who did?" Momentarily forgetting the sudden intrusion, the man took a step closer to her, expression intense.

"The Doctor."

She expected two words to come from his mouth. Two words that always made her heart drop and spirits fall. However, he simply leaned down to her facial level, looking her in the eye.

"I'm the Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm the Doctor."

The brown-haired girl stared at him, her expression blank as she searched his features. After what felt like eternity, she took a step back. "No, you're not." She stated with a sudden unexpected snort, doing a 360 and wandering closer to the control panel. He looked at her incredulously, following her.

"I _am_ the Doctor!"

"Nope!" She called, reaching out to touch something on the circular panel. "I've seen him. I kind of remember what he looked like, and you look nothing like him."

"New face!" He slapped her hand. "Don't touch that. You need to leave, now."

Sophie lifted her gaze to his and glared lightly. "Not until I find the Doctor. I've found the blue box, and now I need to find him."

"Congratulations, you've found them both! Now leave!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and began steering her towards the door. "It's a wonder you found the TARDIS at all. Perception filter, no one sees my box if they aren't supposed to."

"The Doctor told me about it." She ducked, slipping out of his grasp and spinning around him, back to the center console. "I was supposed to find it, he told me to find a blue box and I would find him."

"I don't remember telling you that." He turned and followed her, but didn't grab her again. "I remember everyone, I have an uncanny memory and I would have **certainly** remembered an irritating girl with a bag. Now if you please, the door is that way."

She narrowed her eyes, still wandering around the center piece. "I was eleven. A man burst into my house when I was home alone, like he owned the place. Said he was the Doctor and he needed me to do something very, very important…" She trailed off, then spun on her heel to face him now, eyes curious. "If you really are the Doctor, why don't you remember?"

"One of two things. Either it didn't happen _at all_, or it hasn't happened to me _yet_."

"Yet?"

"Timey Wimey."

Sophie remained silent now. They both looked at one another, silence filling the room all except for a hum from the TARDIS. Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, until Sophie broke the silence. "He told me to."

"Told you to find the TARDIS?"

"Not only that."

Kneeling down suddenly, she allowed her bag to slip off her shoulder and hit the floor with a quiet thump. She began rummage through it. "Oh, which one is it… I really should have labeled these.." she picked out several books, opening the covers and flipping through the pages till she found the one she had apparently been searching for, which had a colorful cover, with rainbows, hearts, butterflies, and various baby animals all over it. She stood to her feet and walked over to him, standing at his side so he could see it.

"Look, see?" she opened the book to the very first page. Across that page was sloppy, uneven handwriting, and on the second page, a childish drawing of a man. "Dear Diary, a man came to me today and told me to keep diaries. I don't know him. He was tall and had weird hair, and he talked a lot about a blue box. I don't know a lot of what he was saying, he was weird. He wants me to look for a blue box. I don't know why." She read aloud, struggling at times with the words.

Suddenly, the Doctor threw a hand out and slapped it over her mouth, his expression exasperated. "Why would you do that?!" Reaching up, Sophie grabbed his hand and pushed it down off her mouth.

"Do what?" She asked with wide eyes.

"That's a diary."

"So it is. It's mine."

"You read it out loud!"

She stepped back from him, closing the colorful book. "Yeah, I don't care, I was like 11. What did I have to hide, the fact that my mum grounded me and it made me royally angry?'

The old man reached out and snatched the diary from her hands, holding it up and pointing at it. "This is a diary! You wrote, about me! It's your past, my _future_, and you read it _out loud_."

"So..?"

"That means it has to happen now. I'll have to go back and tell you to do that and I have no idea why. I don't like knowing things and you just made this very, very difficult."

Staring up at him, the relatively short girl's brows knitted downwards. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't seem to think of a thing worth mentioning, and slowly looked to her feet. All she knew was what she had told him already.

"Leave.." He ground out suddenly, prompting her to look up at him. "If I do it in the future, it's not my concern to worry about it now." His gaze darkened and he turned away to pretend to study the controls as his whole frame seemed to droop. "I don't have the want or need to deal with my future self's _**strays**_."

The girl stood still, looking at him, as if shocked by the whole outcome. "… I don't care that it wasn't you! It doesn't matter! I found the blue box, I kept the journals, what _**now**_?" She shouted suddenly, causing him to stiffen, yet he didn't turn to look at her. It only seemed to add fuel to the fire. "My life has been a series of repetitive actions. I would wake up in the morning, have breakfast, go to school, go look for this bloody box, come home and write in my journal about how I didn't find it again, go to bed and do the same thing the next day! The only thing that changed in eight years was that I graduated from high school! I didn't go to college because I was looking for you and this box and now that I've found it, what am I supposed to do? You can't tell me it was all for nothing!"

"It's not my problem." He said gruffly, then whirled to face her, stern look on his face. "My ship, my rules, and what I say in here goes, so I'd appreciate if you left now. Goodbye." The Doctor strode past her, shoving the book in her hands as he stopped to stand near the doors, which had remained open, and held his hand out to gesture to them.

"But," Sophie started, her expression falling. It had... all been a waste then? Surely not… he'd told her to do this for a reason! She knew he had! He didn't tell her to keep diaries and search for him for the hell of it; there was a reason and she couldn't believe that reason would be to get turned down by a far more angry, crude old man.

Defeated, she slowly followed him, her pace akin to that of the shame walk (think of when you were a kid and you asked your parents for a toy, and when they said no; that walk back to put it back.).

Suddenly, the doors to the TARIDS slammed shut and the time machine gave an unnatural hissed as the doors locked. The Doctor stared at the closed doors with wide eyes, cocking an eyebrow. "That's… intriguing."


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie stared at the doors as the Doctor slipped past her, walking up to the center console. He began messing with some levers and panels, pulling down a screen. "That's impossible. I can always open the doors; it's _my_ TARDIS!" He pulled out a device, pointing it at the screen. It buzzed, and without warning, it gave a horrible spark. He shouted and dropped the object, then glared at the console. "Stop that!"

"At least your box likes me." Sophie stated, leaning against the railing near the doors and admiring her 11-year-old self's diary. There was a grumble from him as he strode back over to the doors, giving them an unfruitful tug.

"She doesn't like you, she's just being stubborn," he said firmly, eyeing the TARDIS doors as he went back towards the console. The ship waited until he went back to the controls to send a well-aimed spark at him, and he yelped, examining the now red mark on his hand. "That hurt," he complained, more so at the controls in front of him then at the girl he had yet to ask for a name of. He used his other hand to firmly press a button, and threw his hands in the air with exasperation when nothing happened. "Alright, you win, again! I give up!"

The girl simply watching with a passive expression, not seeming to mind the fact that she was stuck in the not so cramped box with the man. "So, is it your problem now?"

He turned to look at her sharply, walking back to her. "No. It isn't. But my TARDIS seems to think that it is. And since she thinks you should be here, I might as well know your name."

There was a sense of victory about her as she smiled, holding her hand out. "Sophie. Sophie McClanaham." He didn't take her hand, instead, he let his eyes give her a once over, sizing her up.

"Sophie McClanaham." He repeated, then turned, returning to the controls. This time, Sophie followed him, her hand dropping back to her side and her expression curious. "Sophie McClanaham! Do you know what you're standing in right now?"

"You said it was a ship." She replied, nearly bumping into him when he suddenly stopped and turned to face her.

"Yes, it's a space ship. But you know what else it is? It's a time machine."

Sophie's facial expression turned into one of doubt, and she lifted her eyes to peer around the cabin. "Is that why it's my past and your future?"

He stared down at her. "It's very likely that it's your past and _our_ future. But yes. I can go anywhere in all of space and time. Anywhere at all. Doesn't that scare you?"

"No.." She said slowly, but she frowned. "If you can go anywhere, why don't you just go back right now and tell me to write the diaries? You could just be rid of me that much sooner."

Seeming to be a bit gentler this time, he held a hand out in request for the diary she held. Without hesitation, she gave it to him, and he flipped to the first and second pages. "See this?" He asked, pointing to a drawing of a man. The man had short, curly auburn hair, blue eyes, and was dressed in a suit as blue as the TARDIS. He was smiling great big. "This isn't me. In the diary you said he had weird hair, I don't have weird hair."

"Well.." Sophie glanced at his hair.

"The point is that it isn't me. It wasn't this face." he continued before she could say anything about his hair. "I can't go have you write them because it was, I suppose, a future regeneration that went into the past and told you to keep the diaries."

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, the girl let out a slow breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and rose her brows. "So, that means…?"

"It means I'm stuck with you. Possibly for a good long while." He searched her expression for a moment, then turned swiftly to glare up at the ceiling. "You hear that Old Girl? You win! As always, you're getting your way." Looking back to Sophie, his became serious.

"None of this bothers you?"

"What do you mean?" She cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowing in confusion.

He gestured all around them. "All of this! All that's happened. You're standing in a time machine, a space ship, and a sentient being all in one. It's locked you in with a madman with no way to get out. We've already established that a future version of me, which mind you, looks nothing like this version of me, finds you in the past and assures that we meet, and you've not even asked how all of this is possible." He leaned closer a bit, expression suspicious. "Don't you want to know..?"

Sophie remained in her place, glancing around at her surroundings, then looked back to him. "… How is it possible?"

"… It'd take too long to explain." The Doctor suddenly sauntered to the console, fiddling with various buttons and levers. "I can, however, show you. Every planet, anytime, anywhen, anywhere. One minute we're in North Yorkshire in 2014, the next we can be in a space station, orbiting Earth 2.0 ten billion years in the future." He only paused to glance over his shoulder at the girl, who was watching him with bright, agog eyes. His own expression was adventurous, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Where do you want to travel to?"

She opened her mouth, perhaps to spout a location, but stopped, frowning. Once again, her eyes lit up and she began to say something, only to fall short. Her face twisted with different emotions, and finally, she looked at him, expression lost. "I… don't know."

The Doctor was still, his daring expression falling into a deadpan one as he spun to face her. "I've just offered you the whole universe and you don't know where you want to go?"

"I've never even been out of North Yorkshire!" Sophie threw her hands up in defense. "I've never traveled out of my own county, let alone to another part of the universe!" She placed her hands on her hips. "It isn't as if I'd say, 'Oh, I've heard Stellar Series 11325 is lovely this time of year'."

"It isn't."

"What?"

"It's not lovely this time of year, it's so cold you'd freeze to the ground the moment you stepped out of the TARDIS." He dismissed the confused expression he was receiving and turned back to the console. "Doesn't matter, space station it is!"

He threw a lever down, causing the whole TARDIS to shake.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where are we?"

The Doctor legged it towards the TARDIS doors, placing a hand on the wooden frame. He looked at the doors for a moment longer than any normal person would, eyes distant, then swung the doors open. He nodded once with pursed lips, then stepped out. Sophie followed suit, peaking her head out of the blue box with an odd frown on her face. "We've.. moved?"

"I told you already, do try and keep up." He clasped his hands together, looking around. "We're on a space station, orbiting New Earth 2.0. It was supposed to be year 10.1 apple 13, but, it's year 9.9 apple 4, almost ten billion years in your future. Sometimes the TARDIS isn't quite that accurate. Looks like I'll be missing the Hukapina Meteor Shower. Again."

Slowly and cautiously, Sophie stepped out of the TARDIS, looking around with quite the dazed expression. She ran her fingers through her short, light brown hair, then turn to the Doctor. "It doesn't look like a space station.." The room they were in was small and cramped, with dark metal walls lined with cluttered shelves, concrete floors, and a ceiling that looked to be a mirror. Sophie found herself staring up at it thoughtfully.

Turning to her, the Doctor cocked a brow. "What should a space station look like?" He asked, watching as she lowered her head in thought. She looked back at him with arched brows, a smile tugging at her lips.

"… You've got a point."

"I always do." He picked up an object that strongly resembled a squeegee, slowly setting it back down. "We're probably in a utility closest."

"Exciting." Sophie looked up at the mirror on the ceiling again, humming thoughtfully. After a moment, she turned back to him, grinning. "Are we going to leave the closet?"

He seemed to snap out of a daze, turning to a door. "Of course," he pressed a few keys on a pad, watching as it swooshed open to allow them passage. The design outside of the closest seemed primarily the same, even the mirror on the ceiling. Sophie made a face up at it.

"How can they stand to walk around with a sheet of glass hanging above their heads? I'd be afraid it would come shattering down."

"People walk with many things over their heads. Wood, concrete, steel… other people."

Ignoring his words, she wandered over to a window, gazing out towards the planet below. It looked like earth, but the more she looked at it, the more concerned she became. "Why do the continents look all wonky?"

He followed her over, standing at her side. "It's not Earth. It's New Earth 2.0, New Earth's twin planet." When Sophie looked towards him in complete and utter confusion, he sighed. "Earth was destroyed by the sun about.. five billion years ago. Humans are resilient though. The found another planet similar to their own and named it New Earth. A billion years after that, an asteroid struck New Earth and thus, a chunk of New Earth was thrown into orbit around it. Another billion years and it began to form into a planet much like New Earth. When it was realized that it would also be sustainable for life, it became New Earth 2.0."

Sophie frowned as she listened, looking out at 'New Earth 2.0'. In the distance, she could see New Earth peeking around 2.0. "We survived this long?" she asked suddenly, crossing her arms over her chest. Her looked at her oddly.

"Of course. Why?"

"I always thought we'd of killed each other by now. Or global warning would have gotten us." The last bit was mostly satirical. The Doctor looked out at the two twin planets, eyes distant.

"As I said, humans are resilient. They can be dumb, they can be confrontational, but they learn from their mistakes. And when they realize that, as a species, they are doing something horribly wrong, they change it. I've never met another race who, despite their differences, could put aside their qualms to band together as a species to accomplish the greatest of feats... besides my own."

Very slowly, Sophie turned her hazel eyes towards him. ".. Besides your own?" He didn't answer. "… Are you an alien?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You're an alien!"

"I thought it went without saying!" The Doctor threw his hands up and turned to her, brows furrowed. "I told you it was a space ship!"

"Yeah but it's also a time machine! You could have been a future human for all I knew!" She lightly 'slapped' his arm with the back of her hand, making a face at him.

He looked at her hand, unsure of how he felt about physical contact, then up at her face. "Well I'm not. I'm a Time Lord, from Gallifrey." Sophie frowned at him, falling quiet for a moment, then nodded a little. He eyed her curiously. "Does it bother you that I'm an alien?"

"No." she said, shaking her head and adverting her gaze. "I guess it shouldn't be that surprising." Her lips curled into just the slightest hint of a grin, and the Doctor almost considered returning it. But he didn't, he simply continued to watch her with interest. Just when she opened her mouth to say something more, a sudden voice cut her off, penetrating the silence.

"Hey! Who are you?"

The two of them turned to where the shout had come from, watching a light haired man approach them. He was dressed in an all white jumper, which made him look like a painter that went into houses to paint walls or something. His jaw was well chiseled and his eyes, the brightest blue she'd ever seen. "Hello.." she muttered under her breath as he came up to them.

"What are you doing here? This area is strictly off limits for guests. Authorized personnel only."

"Well we're lucky we're authorized personnel, then." The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet looking object, holding it out for the man to see. "I'm the Doctor, this is Sophie." Before the man could get a really good look at it, it was back in the Doctor's pocket.

Looking a bit confused for a moment, the man blinked twice, then shook his head. "… I'm Nathan, Nathan Carmichael. You must be the investigators Mosby sent for." Sophie looked up at the Doctor in confusion, opening her mouth, but he cut her off.

"That's us, investigators. Tell us, what seems to be the problem?" He now looked at Sophie very pointedly, lips pressed into a thin line. The girl stared at him for a moment, then ran her fingers through her short, light brown hair, and kept quiet.

"Didn't you receive your files?" Nathan asked, eyes questioning.

The Doctor glanced at Sophie. "New girl, she lost them." He pretended to roll his eyes as he received a look from Sophie so offended, that one would have thought he had offended her ancestors. "Would you mind giving us a brief recap?"

Nathan looked between the two of them, anxiously shifting back and forth on his feet. "Well, we aren't supposed to really talk about it... but.. " He looked over his shoulder, leaning closer. "People have been going missing. Girls."

"Girls?" The Doctor asked, arching his brows. "What do you mean they've been going missing?"

"I mean they've been there one moment, gone the next." Nathan explained nervously, licking his lips. "One was at a party, and she left to powder her nose in the bathroom or whatever girls do… And she never came back. Right out of the bathroom, surrounded by 50 people."

The Doctor and Sophie glanced at one another, wondering what they had just walked into.


	5. Chapter 5

Sophie cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest. "What does um… Mosby have to say about this?" She asked seriously, brows pulled into a deep frown. The Doctor glanced at her with an unreadable expression. She caught on fast…

"He hasn't got a clue what to say to the customers, miss." Nathan muttered, running his fingers through his blond hair. "People back home are starting to get suspicious, and we aren't due to return to New Earth for another four orbits."

The Doctor suddenly pulled the device he'd dawned earlier. It looked to be made of black metal, and a light at the end of it glowed red. Other than that, Sophie couldn't put words to what it might be. Both Nathan and Sophie looked at it oddly as the Doctor waved the buzzing object around, then studied it closely. His eyebrows pinched, obviously not liking what he was seeing, but he simply looked back up to Nathan.

"How many girls have gone missing, you say?"

"Three now, sir."

Nodding a bit, the Doctor turned to Sophie, then wandered over to the view of the twin planets. "On a space station orbiting New Earth 2.0, where could three girls be off to, never to be seen again…?" He wasn't asking anyone in particular as he stared out the window.

After looking at the Doctor for a moment, Sophie turned back to Nathan. "Did the girls have anything in common? Were they all friends or.. something?"

Nathan frowned at her. "You mean besides being the prude, uppity daughters of rich corporation owners?" When he received an intrigued look from Sophie, he continued. "This isn't just a space station. This is the Oriana Quantum! The finest cruise ship that ever graced the orbit of any planet! It serves the finest of clients of New Earth and New Earth 2.0, taking them across the galaxy and-"

"Yeah, save the pitch for your customers," Sophie cut him off, holding up a hand. "You said this um… spacey cruise ship is supposed to land back on.. New Earth, yeah?"

"Yes.." He hadn't been very pleased to be cut off.

"If you take your customers across the galaxy, why are your orbiting New Earth 2.0?" The Doctor was at her side once more, looking suddenly intrigued. "New Earth 2.0 is your sister planet. Why would you orbit your own sister planet, one you've seen in your sky for three billion years. Why wouldn't your patrons want to go somewhere a bit more.. unfamiliar?"

The young man shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He opened his mouth to possibly explain, but he was cut off.

"Because this trip was designed for the children of the most prominent entrepreneurs of our time." A rough voice rang out from somewhere behind Nathan. Nathan turned around swiftly and the Doctor and Sophie looked up, over his shoulders. There stood an older man, adorned in what appeared to be a captain's uniform. His dark eyes nearly seared a hole through Sophie, but the Doctor didn't seem fazed at all.

The dark-skinned man closed the space between them, glancing at Nathan. "You're dismissed." The young man looked between the lot of them, looking almost apologetic at Sophie, then turned, exiting the room.

Turning her attention back to the man, Sophie gave him a once over, then glanced at the Doctor. This man was almost ten times as intimidating as the Doctor was and it surprised her that, that was even possible. "Captain Mosby." The man greeted, holding his hand out to the both of them.

Reaching out and shaking his hand, the older man nodded firmly. "I'm the Doctor, this is Sophie."

"Thanks Doctor, I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself." Sophie smiled at Mosby, now shaking his hand. "Sophie." If she hadn't of known any better, Sophie might have thought that Mosby looked mildly amused, but she couldn't be sure.

Mosby let his hand drop to his side, looking between the two of them. "You aren't the investigators I sent for." It wasn't a question, and it wasn't an accusation. It was a simple statement, not meant to be refuted or denied. Sophie's eyes widened, but the Doctor shook his head.

"No. But that doesn't matter to you, does it?"

The captain looked between the two of them in uncertainty, then shook his head as well. "No. At this point I've waited far too long to wait any longer. If you can figure out what's going on here, it doesn't matter who you are. Follow me." He turned on his heel and started back the way he came.

Sophie looked up at the Doctor, and he slowly looked back at her. They only looked at one another for a moment, and finally, Sophie wagged her eyebrows. "Come along, Watson. We've got a mystery to solve." She followed after Mosby now, leaving a frowning Doctor in tow.

"I'm nearly positive I would be Holmes."

"Don't think so!"

"So what are you, journalists, enthusiasts…?"

"We're just here to help." The Doctor said flatly as they entered the captain's quarters. Mosby went to sit behind a desk, and Sophie and the Doctor followed him up to it, then stood in front of it. "You said this ship was for children?"

"Above the age of 16," Mosby sat forwards in his seat, eyes narrowing. "For many, it's their first time traveling off the planet, so we start them off gently. Just a couple orbits around 2.0, then back to New Earth. After they've grown accustomed to space travel, they travel further. It's a starter package, really."

Sophie inclined her head a little. "Is it mandatory to take this trip before going father?" She asked inquisitively, crossing her arms over her chest. Mosby shook his head.

"No, they can go anywhere they want with their parents."

"Why not just go with their parents, then?"

Mosby waved his hands a bit in light gesture. "More often than not, their parents don't have the time nor the want to spend quality time with their children. Other times, the kids just like not being under their parents', or nannies' thumbs."

The young woman hummed a bit in understanding. "Ah."

"So that's it then?" The Doctor asked, shaking his head. "Rich parents send their kids off on cruises so they don't have to entertain them, themselves?"

Sophie eyed the Doctor. "That's how most parents are.."

Again, the captain nodded. "The unfortunate truth of the matter. However, how parents choose to care for their children matters little to me. I'm here to take them in and out of orbit in one piece, and keep them safe. And Doctor, I've got three girls who've vanished without a trace. I've had to turn off communications because I've got parents wanting to talk to kids who aren't exactly present to speak."

The Doctor looked over to Sophie, whose lips were pressed into a thin frown. "Right. Sophie, look around and see \what you can learn from the kids, I'll be off to… find things."

"What?" Sophie turned to him now, face twisting into a frown. "You're going to run off and make me do the hard work?"

"I don't like kids and they'll talk to you, not me. Look at you, you look 15 with your big eyes and baby face, you'll fit right in."

"I do not!" Sophie pointed at him, but he was already leaving.

"Find out what you can!"

The young woman sat there, hands on her hips and an annoyed expression slapped across her features. She huffed out a breath and turned to Captain Mosby, who only looked at her blankly. After a moment, she tossed her hair off her shoulders. "Okay..." She turned, heading out the way they'd came.


	6. Chapter 6

It was pretty quiet for being a spaceship filled with a bunch of rowdy teenagers. Sophie wandering through the halls nonchalantly, hands folded behind her back. She still couldn't believe that the Doctor had just abandoned her to fend for herself, although she had already figured that he was the type that liked to work alone. He was so gruff… It made Sophie wonder what had happened to him to make him so grumpy.

Hearing the distinct sound of laughter coming from somewhere down the corridor, the young woman began making her way towards the sound. She came to a large room filled with tables that reminded her of her elementary lunch room, and decided that this must be the mess hall. In the corner, three girls were sitting around a fourth, a smaller, lankier girl with toffee colored skin and curly black hair, whose shoulders were hunched over and head was dipped low. She looked younger than 16 to Sophie, that was for sure. Instead of announcing her presence right away, sh just stood at the entrance, listening to what was being said.

"She probably got tired of hanging around you," A girl said, a blond with honey colored skin. She was evidently older than the other was, her figure fuller and her face narrower. Her chin was raised and she was smiling down at the younger girl, although there was something about the smile that made Sophie grind her teeth together.

"Yeah, I mean, look at you. You're so short and flat, who would want a sister who looked like that anyways?" Another chirped in an annoyingly pleasant sort of way.

The third suddenly laughed, reached out to tug on her hair. "And that hair!"

"She probably floated herself out of embarrassment!"

"I know I would have!"

"Hey!"

The three of them suddenly looked to where the sudden shout had come from, but the younger girl didn't raise her head, or even attempt to look. Sophie made her way towards the girls, her hands balled into fists. "That's not very nice, why are you talking to her like that?"

"Who are you?" the blonde asked snidely, her brows pinched together in scrutiny.

Sophie arched one brow at her, placing her hands on her hips. "I asked first."

The three older girls glanced at one another, before looking back to Sophie. "We don't have to you. Come on girls, party's over." Standing up together in sync, as if they were one person, they brushed past Sophie and left the mess hall, not even once looking back.

Watching them leave with a tight frown, Sophie narrowed her eyes before looking back to the young girl. She still sat at the table, staring down at her folded hands. Slowly, Sophie walked over and casually plopped herself down next to her, offering her a smile.

"Don't worry about them. They're just jealous mean girls." She told her, hunching over to get a better look at her. The girl only continued to look at her hands, barely acknowledging that Sophie was there, let alone speaking to her. Frowning a little, Sophie leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. There was yet another mirror. Staring at her reflection, she thought for a moment.

"I had curly hair when I was a kid. Got a perm." She laughed suddenly. "It looked silly on me though. I looked like a hair-dried poodle." Sophie turned to look at the girl, and swore she saw just a hint of a smile curled across her lips. Encouraged, she continued. "I decided from that day forward I knew I was destined for straight or wavy hair, never kinked. It looks good on you though, it suits you."

"Thanks..." the girl mumbled gently, wringing her hands together. "The older girls don't think so, though."

Leaning forward in much the same position the girl was in, Sophie tilted her head. "Well it doesn't much matter what others think, really, especially girls like that. As long as you like it, that's what counts." She grinned. "They actually really, really like it. That's why they tease you about it, they're jealous."

"I've heard people say that before, but it's not true." The girl frowned, glancing up at Sophie. "Why would they make fun of it if they like it?"

"Well that's because it's effortless for you." Sophie inclined her head towards the young girl, smiling a bit wider. "Those girls get up and spend an hour on their make-up, an hour straightening or curling their hair, and by the time they're done, their feet hurt and they have to sit down. What do you do in the morning to get ready?"

The girl smiled now. "I just put my strawberry hair gel in my hair and go.."

"Exactly." Sophie nudged her a bit with her shoulder. "They spend so much time worried about what they look like, they don't have enough time to go have fun, and it's so easy for you, you don't even think about it. When people see you're happy with yourself, it sort of takes the power away from them to tease you about it. Not that they won't try. Just keep doing what you're doing, they'll give up when they realize it isn't working."

Seeming to be encouraged by the little pep talk, the girl straightened up, pushing her shoulders back. "I'm Nebula. But people always call me Nebbie."

"Sophie," They grinned at one another. "So, Nebbie.. You're a bit younger than the other kids, aren't you?"

"12 and a half." The girl responded proudly. "I'll be a teenager soon. I'm younger than anyone else here and I've been in space more times than any of them!"

Giving a low whistle, Sophie smiled. "Wow, that's impressive! Your father's okay with that? I thought this ship was for kids older than 16."

"Well, my father made an exception for me." Nebula explained shortly, eyes bright. However, her eyes nearly immediately fell. "You know… those girls were right though. It is my fault…"

"What is?" Sophie asked, frowning. The good vibes certainly hadn't lasted long.

Nebula peered up at the other, eyes full of guilt. "My sister, Celeste. She went missing and it was my fault." Sophie stared down at the young girl, expression contorting into one of concern.

"Your sister is one of the girls that went missing?"

Slowly, the girl nodded. "The first…"

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Sophie reached an arm around and put it around Nebula's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Nebbie, why would you say it's your fault? It's not your fault sweetie."

Covering her face with her hands, the girl leaned into Sophie and shook her head rapidly. "It is though! Dad said he was going to send for someone to come find her, Rebecca and Delilah, but-"

"Wait," Sophie pulled back a little to look at Nebula, who peered up at her with teary, topaz colored eyes. "Who's your father?"

Sniffling, Nebbie rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. "You mean you don't know?"

"I really don't,"

There was a pause before the curly-haired girl finally answered. "My dad's the captain. You know.. he kind of flies the ship..?"

Letting out a breathy, humorless laugh, Sophie shook her head and leaned back, closing her eyes. "Of course he is..."


	7. Chapter 7

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Mosby looked up, eyes falling on Nebula, who was holding Sophie's hand as they walked into his office. His eyes nearly immediately locked with Sophie's, eyebrows knitting together. "What is she doing here?" He asked solemnly, voice dark.

"Your daughter Celeste was one of the girls to go missing." Sophie came to a stop a few feet in front of the desk, giving Nebula's hand a gentle squeeze. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't important." He responded shortly through clenched teeth. She stared at him incredulously.

"Wasn't important? She's your daughter." She asked, gesturing towards to Nebula, who was staring up at Mosby with wide eyes. "And so is she! She thinks it's her fault that Celeste went missing. There are girls bullying her and you're just letting it _happen_!"

Mosby glanced down to Nebula. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, I promise! I just-"

"Whatever she said to you, it isn't true." Mosby stood to his feet, leaning over his desk. "She's under a lot of stress and has an over-active imagination. None of what she says is credible."

Tears prickling at her eyes, Nebula shook her head and clung tighter to Sophie's hand. "Daddy I swear I didn't make it up! It's all true!"

"What's all true?" Sophie asked suddenly. The room fell silent. Mosby looked from Sophie to Nebula, then back and forth several times. "Listen, either you tell me or Nebula tells me, either way I'm gonna find out." Mosby still remained silent, so Sophie lowered herself onto her knees, peering up at Nebula. "Tell me what happened, Nebbie. What happened to your sister and the other girls?"

Taking a deep breath, Nebula closed her eyes. "Celeste has always been prettier than me... Everyone loves her. Her hair is always straight, her skin is clear.. And she has really straight, white teeth. And I have always been really jealous, `cause I'm nothing like that. I want to be as pretty as she is! I didn't mean for.." the girl trailed off for a moment.

"Mean for what, Nebula..?" Sophie prompted gently.

She took a deep, shaky breath. "She said she could help." When she received an inquisitive expression from Sophie, she continued. "A girl. She looked exactly like me… She said she could make me more beautiful than all the other girls on the ship, combined. She said, all I had to do was give the order."

Staring at the young girl across from her, Sophie slowly turned to look at Mosby, who was standing behind his desk with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, she returned her gaze to Nebula. "… Where is this girl? Nebula, where is she?"

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off before she could. "Sophie, I thought I sent you off to do things." The Doctor announced as he entered the room. His gaze was immediately drawn to Nebula, who peered up at the old man with wide eyes.

"You did, and I came back. Nebula, tell the Doctor-"

"He's a doctor!?" Nebula nearly shrieked, suddenly stepping away from Sophie, prompting the woman to jump to her feet. "You think I'm mad!"

"No no no! That's not it, Nebula!" Sophie pleaded, but the girl wouldn't listen.

"I trusted you! I _believed_ in you! But you're just like all the other girls!" Shoving her way past the Doctor, Nebula booked it out of the room. Sophie pressed her palm to her forehead in frustration, then pinched the bridge of her nose. Suddenly dropping her hand to her side, she hauled herself to her feet and stared up at the Doctor.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Sophie asked, waving her arm in the general direction that the girl had gone.

The Doctor rose his head a little, peering at her under hooded eyes. "It's not my problem…" He grunted, his voice almost evaluating in a way. If Sophie hadn't known any better, she might have thought he were testing her. But she wasn't thinking straight.

"It never is, is it?" Sophie balled her hands into fists. "When it comes to scared little girls it's never your problem." The Doctor watched as she closed the space between them, pausing just a few inches away from him. "This time… make it your problem." The woman brushed past him. "Nebula! Wait!" She called after the girl, rushing out of the office.

Left standing in his place, the Doctor stared at the wall for an uncertain amount of time. He then turned to look at Mosby, who was staring at him somewhat anxiously. After a period of silence, the Time Lord turned to face Mosby. "What's on the second level?" He suddenly asked.

A puzzled countenance crossed his features. "Second level?" The captain asked, head tilting to the side.

The Doctor simply stared at him, expression dark. Finally, he spoke, raising his chin. "How many are aboard this ship?"

Without hesitation, Mosby answer. "46, including... the three girls.."

"Do you know what that means?" Mosby shook his head. "That means there are _47_ reasons that this is my problem. And when something is my problem, I will solve it. Even if I have to tear this ship and its secrets apart. So don't play the part of the fool with me." The Doctor crossed over to stand directly in front of the desk, leaning over it. "Tell me what's up there, trust me, I've heard it all."

"I'm telling you, there's no second level on this ship!"

"From the moment I arrived I've been receiving astonishingly high energy readings from the upper level. That's out of the ordinary for a simple cruise ship. Honestly Captain Mosby I'm going to find out, so tell me.." He narrowed his icy blue orbs. "What's on level two?"

There was a long pause, and slowly, Mosby peered up at the ceiling, staring at his reflection. The Doctor followed suit. "There is no level two.." Mosby whispered, voice barely audible. After a long moment, Mosby spoke again. "You're a doctor… You have to help my Nebula." The Doctor turned his attention back to Mosby, who still stared up at the ceiling (as if its presence confused him somehow), and continued speaking.

"She says she did this to the girls. Said she… talked to herself in the mirror, said she was the one that had taken the girls-"

"Did you say she saw a girl in the mirror?" The Doctor suddenly blared, eyes widening. The sudden shout caused Mosby to turn to the Doctor, his own yes nearly the size of a dinner plate.

"Yes, but-"

The old time traveler suddenly threw his hands over his face, slapping it several times. "I'm such a simpleton! How could I have been so blind!"

In alarm, the captain came around the desk to stand in front of the Doctor. "What? What is it, Doctor?" Grabbing the captain by the shoulders suddenly, he gave them a bit of a shake.

"The answer! It's right above us!"

Mosby looked up, then back down to the Doctor, glaring in annoyance. "I already told you, there isn't a second floor!"

"No- the mirrors! This whole ship is lined with them! Why? Why are there so many mirrors?" The Doctor stared him dead in the eye. Mosby didn't seem to have an answer. "You never noticed them before… None of you have, the clever thing.. And Sophie! She saw them immediately, hah. I suppose she isn't so daft after.." He suddenly trailed off. "Sophie.."

He turned without warning, racing out of the office with sudden fervor. "_**Sophie! Don't look in the mirrors! Sophie!**_"


	8. Chapter 8

"This is so ridiculous.." The young woman wandered through the halls, looking for any trace of the young girl who had run off. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Sophie wasn't sure what she had expected when she found the blue box and the Doctor, but it hadn't been this. She had been certain he was just pretending not to care.. maybe because he was lonely? But she wasn't so sure anymore.

As she made her way down the corridors, Sophie had the strangest feeling in her bones. It was nearly unexplainable; if you'd asked her to put words to it, she would have surely struggled. It was a tingle up her back that made her hunch her shoulders, frown, and look behind her. As she expected, there was nothing behind her. So, as any logical person would do, she ignored it.

"Nebbie!" Sophie called, cupping her hands around her mouth as a weak attempt to make her voice travel farther. "Nebula! Come back! We can talk about this!" The woman paused. "He's not even a real doctor! I don't think…." Trailing off, Sophie frowned in thought.

She paused and placed her hands on her hips, groaning. "I'm sorry, Nebbie…" She mumbled.

Suddenly, she heard a bit of a giggle behind her. Turning swiftly on her heel, Sophie watched what she figured was Nebula turning the corner, only just catching a glance of her hair.

Sophie blinked, immediately following. "Nebbie!" she called after her, turning the corner, and again, only just seeing her turn another corner. "Wait! Hey! Hold up!" It seemed that no matter how fast she run, Nebula was already at the next turn before she even made it close.

As she turned one last corner, Sophie saw a door slip shut in the middle of the hall. The young woman cautiously walked over to it, pausing in front of it. "Nebula.." she called softly. Without receiving an answer, Sophie slowly maneuvered herself to lean against the wall next to the door, sighing.

"Listen.. I know how hard it is to trust grown ups.. And I know how difficult it is to trust doctors. I should know. But I promise you, Nebula, he wasn't there because of what you said. We just sort of.. came here. It's hard to explain, but he's not gonna hurt you, I promise."

When her words were met with silence, Sophie glanced at the door. "Nebula?" She pushed herself off the wall and turned to the door, reaching out, perhaps to rap her knuckles against the white metal. Without warning, however, the door suddenly swooshed open, prompting Sophie to jump back a little in surprise.

After getting over the initial surprise, the young woman ever so gradually inched her way into the room, expression inquisitive.

The room was full of the shiny metallic material that Sophie had compared earlier to a mirror. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all completely covered by it, making the entire room reflective; it was all rather disorienting. To be honest, it perplexed her that there was light in it; where was the source coming from?

Putting that aside for later analysis, Sophie wandered into the middle of the room, looking around in curiosity. "I could have sworn.." She muttered, trailing off. Out of nowhere, the hissing of the door closing behind her caused her to spin around. However, when she looked to the door… it wasn't there. There was only mirror.

Deciding that this was impossible, Sophie turned and looked in each direction for the exit, only to be met with the mirror each time. Her hazel orbs wide, the woman reached up to run her fingers through her hair. "Okay. This is probably very bad. Doctor! Doctoorrr!"

"He can't hear you." An uncannily familiar voice replied serenely behind her.

Sophie spun round to face the speaker, but was only met with her own reflection. However, her reflection was smiling at her, and Sophie knew for a fact that she wasn't smiling. Staring with a wide-eyed frown, she took a few steps closer, and her smiling reflection did the same.

Pausing when she was only about a foot from the mirror, Sophie let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "… Who are you?"

"I am you," the girl in the mirror responded gently, tilting her head to the side.

"No, I'm me.."

The carbon copy nodded once. "Yes. I am you." When Sophie only continued to stare, the reflection continued. "We are one in the same, but I am many."

"How many of you are there?" Sophie asked reluctantly.

"It is just I." There was an unmistakable drop of tone, but the reflection never stopped smiling.

Sophie's brows pinched in confusion. "But I thought you said there were many of you?" This was all a bit over Sophie's head. She only just found out aliens were real, traveled through space into the future, and now she was talking to her own reflection. It was at this moment she began to worry about her mental stability.

"There are." The reflection began morphing suddenly, and it took on the form of Nebula. She smiled up at her brilliantly, hands folded behind her back in an innocent fashion. "I am many, and few, and one. You have known me as two, now. But I am still the same person." Her voice had even changed to the girl's pitch. Sophie stared down at her, her eyes wide, her face drained of all color. This was impossible.

"You're the same person, but you're… different people.."

She nodded. "If that is what helps you understand.. yes." Once more, her form changed, revealing the form of the Doctor. He stood, scowling down at her. Sophie was almost amused that he wasn't smiling. That was a scary thought, him smiling at her as pleasantly as she had before. "I am your subconscious. I see what you have seen. I perceive those you have seen, and I take on their forms as you remember them."

"Why?"

"It is how I survive." Once more, the form changed. A man stood in the Doctor's place. His eyes were so kind and so fond, and the most beautiful blue she'd ever seen on another person. His copper hair was a wild mess, sticking out in every direction, as if he'd run a marathon. In his blue suit, he smiled down at her, holding his hand out. "Hello, Sophie.." He mumbled softly.

Sophie stared at him with the widest eyes, and ever so gradually, she reached out for his hand. "Doctor..?"

As her fingers touched the cool metal, light began to trickle from her hand, connecting with the mirror. The effect traveled up her body, pouring peach, reds, browns, greens, and blues into the mirror. It was as though her body were bleeding into it. Sophie felt suddenly drained, helpless and unable to move. However, she could scream. And she certainly did!

Just as she accepted that she were a goner, the hiss of a door erupted into the room. There stood the Doctor, sonic screwdriver clutched in one hand, the other balled into a fist. "Let her go," He quite nearly snarled. The light at the end of the sonic flipped on and the object buzzed.

Giving an ear-piercing screech, the bioluminescent exchange between Sophie and the mirror ceased, and all of the mirrors suddenly shattered. However, they gathered together and became a liquid state, slithering through a vent. It left the room somewhat dull, walls stripped of paint and left a humble, cold grey color.

The Doctor still pointed his sonic at the vent, as if threatening it to come back. Slowly, he shoved the screwdriver back in his pocket, turning to Sophie. ".. Sophie?" he asked, thick brows furrowed deeply. She didn't respond, only slowly teetering backwards.

He rushed forwards, catching her and slowly lowering her to the ground, his eyes wide. "Sophie! Can you hear me?" Once more dawning his sonic, he buzzed it across her body, then evaluated it. He seemed to relax a little, setting the sonic aside before turning back to her.

"Sophie.. You'll be alright." The Doctor told her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "It's alright. I've got you.."

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry at first, but slowly clearing. She stared up at the Doctor, the silence almost deafening until she finally uttered out, "… So, that's what he looks like when he isn't angry.."

The Doctor gritted his teeth, either to hold back a smile, or to hold back a scowl. He wasn't concerned to figure out which. "You're too clever for your own good."

"Probably.."

The Doctor helped her sit up, moving away to kneel beside her. Sophie pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, groaning. "I feel like I was hit by a mac truck.."

"It doesn't surprise me, it was absorbing your entire being. You won't feel quite right for the next couple of hours." He stood up, snatching his sonic off the ground and waving it around a bit. "Nasty piece of work… Quite clever, though!"

Struggling to her feet, Sophie grumbled. "So are you gonna stand there complementing it, or do you have a plan?"

Turning to face her, he gave her a once over (possible for any other undetected injuries), then smiled; actually smiled. "Just one."

Author's Note: That's it for this week! I'll upload next week on the 28th. I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing it! See you all next week for "Episode Two".


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